Aha! I finally get to claim some characters! David, Luke, Serenity, and Megan are all mine! Don't steal them, I'll hunt you down! Anyway, none of the rest of the characters are mine, no copyright infringement, etc. here's Chapter Twelve!
Grief
Rain poured steadily down upon the mourners as the small casket was lowered into the earth. The one of the youngest figures in black stepped forward and dropped a handful of rose blooms, her own favorite flower, into the grave that would harbor her sister for the rest of eternity.
"She always loved the scent of roses," the eight-year-old girl told her mother softly. "Now she'll have them always."
Christine finally lost the battle over her emotions and began sobbing. Meg, tears falling steadily down her cheeks, took her by the shoulders and walked with her to the awaiting carriage. Serenity walked over to stand by Luke, who was staring, lost and forlorn, by the grave that was rapidly being filled with unforgiving earth. She hugged him gently, and stood silently at his side for a moment.
"She never did like the rain, you know," she said finally. "If she were here, she would want there to be sun."
"Don't you miss her?" asked Luke, surprised at his lifelong friend's detachment to the death of her sister.
"Of course, as much as you can miss someone who's really part of yourself. I'd known she was going to die since early last year, and we were ready for it, I guess. But we will always be together, connected by our hearts."
Luke looked at her sideways for a moment, then timidly reached out is hand. She clasped it, and the young pair walked silently away to join their mothers. Just as they reached the carriage, the persistent downpour stopped, and the sun began to burn brightly behind the clouds. Luke looked up, and Serenity smiled.
"Look, Mamma!" she called, "Megan wants us to know she's okay. I can feel her!"
She tugged Luke's arm as she began to run across the spacious, unoccupied lawns of the cemetery, and the children smiled and laughed as they spun around, soaking in the sun's warm rays.
"Senna, come back," called her mother, smiling tentatively through her tears.
The pair stopped spinning, and ran back to their mothers. Christine embraced her daughter warmly, and whispered into her ear. "What would I ever do without you?"
Serenity snuggled into her mother's arms. "You would be very confused, Mamma, since I help you so much to figure things out."
"You're absolutely correct. If you can talk to your sister, tell her I love her very much, and I don't know how I'll live without her."
"She knows, Mamma. She wouldn't want us to be sad. She's happy, wherever she is. She wants you to be happy, too."
"I'll try, Senna. I'll try. Now, into the carriage with you. We have a lot to talk about, the four of us."
When they reached the little cottage, Serenity darted inside to change out of her mourning gown. She came out of her room to find Meg, Luke, and her mother sitting at the same table where Serenity had warned her mother of Megan's impending death.
"Come here," Christine said, patting the empty chair beside her. Serenity climbed into the seat, hands folded in her lap.
"Serenity, there's something I need to tell you," she started abruptly. "Before you were born, I was the leading soprano at the Paris Opera Populaire."
"I knew it!" Serenity yelled. "I always heard you singing when we were little. We knew you must have sang before. You were very good. Why'd you quit?"
"Something happened, which changed my mind about that life. Now, I -"
"What was it? What happened, Mamma?"
"I'll tell you when you're older, maybe."
"Aw, always when I'm older."
"Anyway,I need to know how you would feel about us moving back there."
"To the city! We could live in Paris, with all the wine and parties and beautiful dresses? And the Opera? Would we live there?"
"Yes, and you would be taught choir and ballet, and -"
"I would be in the operas!" she squealed. "Oh, yes, Mamma, yes. Do let's go!"
"So ready to leave your life here, are you? All right, we'll move to the city."
"What about Luke and Aunt Meg and Uncle David," asked Serenity, glancing sideways at her best friend, "will they come too?"
"Yes, of course. I could never leave without them. I love them all dearly."
"I'll resume my roles from before, and I'll get to see my mother again," Meg put in. "David will get a job as a blacksmith there, I assume."
"What about me?" Luke said, breaking his silence. "What will I do?"
"Well, you can get an apprenticeship almost anywhere, I suppose. Or you could learn to play in the orchestra, or -"
"The orchestra? I could play instruments? Violins, and pianos, and clarinets and such? Could I really, Mother?"
"Yes, dearest," Meg replied, trying not to laugh at her son's enthusiasm. "You can do anything you want, really."
He hugged Christine, then his own mother, then sat down next to Serenity. "When do we leave?" he asked.
"As soon as we can pack our belongings." Meg and Luke left shortly, to gather their family's possessions.
"Mamma, can I have a horse when we get there?" Serenity asked suddenly.
"There are stables at the opera. We'll at least teach you to ride. Then we'll see about getting you your own horse." She pulled her daughter's small nose, thinking about Othello, the horse that had carried her so faithfully to Erik. She quickly cut off that dangerous train of thought. She knew that, after almost nine years, he would never forgive her for her second betrayal. She had never even told him she was leaving. She sighed softly, pulling herself out of the past. She walked into her room, packed the same bag she had nine years ago, and prepared to move to a new life in the second time in a decade.
